X-FAB Rolls Out RF-CMOS Program for Deep Sub-micron Communications Technologies

Two-Part Program with 0.35 Micron and 0.18 Micron RF-CMOS Processes Enables Efficient, Cost-Effective Combination of RF-CMOS with Full Line of Available Process Options including High-Voltage and Non-Volatile Memory

X-FAB Silicon Foundries, the world's leading analog/mixed-signal semiconductor foundry, today announced it has expanded its technology expertise in the communications arena with a new RF-CMOS program.The additions to the current baseline processes will significantly reduce time to market for RF products. The two-part program includes the newly released XH035 RF-CMOS process that provides cost-effective, easy access to building blocks for ISM Band and ZigBee applications; and a 0.18 micron RF-CMOS process, to be made available during the first half of 2007 with various modular options including non-volatile memory solutions and high-voltage functionality.

Thomas Hartung, vice president of marketing and sales at X-FAB said, "X-FAB is pleased to extend its technology offering into this new area. Our customers can benefit from easy access to those technologies, reliable models, and reduced time to market. This new program will support the roadmap of companies specialized in RF-designs, and enable developments for communication ICs using X-FAB’s PDKs that are setting industry standards. The new approach using X-FAB’s existing 0.35 and 0.18 micron process platforms allows our customers to reuse their current design IP and maintain their current design environment, resulting in significant cost-savings."

X-FAB’s new XH035 RF-CMOS process provides easy access to the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) 2.4GHz frequency band and to ZigBee applications for products that use the 2.4GHz portion of the radio spectrum. ZigBee is recognized as a cost-effective, standards-based wireless networking solution that supports low data rates, low power consumption, security and reliability. The new process allows the baseline 0.35um process to be freely combined with existing modules including X-FAB’s high-voltage module and non-volatile memory. As a result, part of the baseline process can be added to an existing platform without requiring a time-consuming and costly move to another platform.

The new XH035RF CMOS process provides inductors, varactors, MIM capacitors and RF MOS transistors, and is available with multiple digital library versions including 3.3 Volt generic and isolated 3.3 Volt. X-FAB offers cost-effective prototyping solutions such as multi-project wafer (MPW) runs and multi-layer masks (MLMs) in which four process layers can be put onto one mask, reducing mask costs up to 25 percent.